1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter of this invention is a dispenser, and more specifically a portable golf tee dispenser, adapted for attachment to a golf bag or the like, for dispensing golf tees one at a time as needed by the golfer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,981 was issued to me on Apr. 2, 1974. It shows and describes a Cartridge Loading Golf Tee Dispenser which is the prior art to which this invention relates. The present invention is an improvement of the tee dispenser disclosed in that patent. The specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,981 is incorporated by reference herein.
The dispenser disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,981 includes a cartridge holding a vertical stack of horizontal golf tees lying one on another, with successive tees alternating the orientation of their heads and their points. An ejector wedge moved between the bottom tee and the next adjacent tee of the stack operates to push the bottom tee through resilient retaining fingers from the cartridge, and simultaneously to prevent release of the others.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,981 further discloses various means to urge the tees within the cartridge toward the discharge end, and to assist gravity in discharging tees from the dispenser. A weighted follower in the tee cartridge, and a spring in the tee cartridge, are two of the suggested alternatives. These features have their limitations and disadvantages. A spring loaded cartridge, for example, is prone to ejecting a tee forcefully rather than dropping it into the user's hand. In addition, none of the disclosed expedients is effective to prevent the stack of tees from disarranging itself when the dispenser is in other than its normal vertical orientation (as when it is stored in the golf bag). The tees are subject to becoming cocked or jammed within the cartridge.